


Wave After Wave

by ViciousInnocence (orphan_account)



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: CharDee - Freeform, Episode Fix-it, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-08-31 13:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8579503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ViciousInnocence
Summary: “Turn that boat around right now! That is an order from your captain!" “That is an order from your captain."“…are you patronising me?”The trio on the boat watch as the small figure of Mac on the pier, turns to glance at Dennis. "Is he patronising me?"





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since we first watched The Gang Buys A Boat, towards the end we're always like Dee, Charlie & Frank are so happy I wish those three would just sail off and leave Mac & Dennis behind to rot together.

 

Stealing the boat away from Mac and Dennis was easy, then again it wasn’t exactly like outwitting them was ever going to be anything but. And objectively speaking, abandoning them wasn’t the _right_ thing to do, but Charlie knew they deserved it. He could take being treated like shit to a point. But being bossed around all day and belittled by a man who didn’t even understand sarcasm grew very tired, very quickly. So Charlie became irritated, very quickly.

Initially the plan had been to sail the boat way out into the ocean and see where they would drift – until Dee had reminded them that was definitely a terrible idea. Instead Charlie suggested they move the boat away from the pier, just far enough to be out of reach.

Freed from the tyranny of Mac and Dennis, the three of them always seemed to come alive. Sometimes having those two around was more hassle than it was worth. They could be nice, but they could also be controlling and nasty and sometimes make Charlie do things that he didn’t like. Cutting them out completely – especially on days where they had already begun to demonstrate their ego-tripping petty nastiness – was a surefire way to avoid any further confrontation.

At least, until tomorrow, or the next week. Or whenever any one member of the gang felt like bringing up past resentment (if any of them would actually be able to remember this. Because Charlie also knew there was a good chance that none of them were going to remember this). Kind of sad in a way but, as Charlie understood it; such was life.

Despite the fact they were a couple hundred metres away from the pier, the boat felt worlds apart. Aside from the green tube man flinging its arms around on the roof, the boat had become surrounded by an aura of warmth.

Charlie had traded the scuba equipment for fairy lights. _Tonnes_ of fairy lights.

He knew what Mac and/or Dennis would have to say about that. Something patronisingly dumb and accusatory.

_Dude? You traded hundreds of dollars of scuba gear…for fairy lights? How is that a fair trade, Charlie?_

Yeah, ok, it wasn’t a _fair_ trade. But it was definitely a good trade, a smart trade even. Charlie wanted the fairy lights, the college students wanted the scuba gear – it made sense and everyone was happy. They had lost a bit of money in the process but that was the beauty of money, you could always make more.

For a small loss, as Charlie saw it, they had made a big gain. While wrapping the orange lights artlessly around the railings, Dee rebooted the boom-box they were sure she had broken and Frank had set about lighting the fire on the barbeque (another hidden talent Charlie knew he never got much credit for – Frank knew how to start a fire with almost anything). By the time they’d finished, the boat was like a private fantasy, emanating a warm orange glow from the lights and the small barbeque fire, the surrounding dark ocean and darkening sky making it seem all the more like a small haven to the three of them.

_“Ohhhh, I knew those dick-bags were holding out on us!”_

Dee’s reaction to finding the crate full of champagne Mac and Dennis had concealed below deck was as predictable as it was relatable.

Since this discovery the hours had flown by as the world got a little darker and the stars got a little brighter. Charlie had always found it impossible to be afraid of the dark, especially outside at night. Anyone who was scared of the dark, he thought, had never spent long enough looking up at the stars.

They were enjoying their music, knocking back the champagne and eating whatever delicious fish they could catch from the ocean. Well, Dee hadn’t. They had offered, multiple times, but she was completely uninterested.

 

“There is no way I would eat these fish, even if you paid me.”

Dee slurs, all of them pretty buzzed by this point.

Frank is quick,

“$300.”

Dee turns to look at him, face twisted up in disgust.

The three of them are on the roof of the boat in the dim glow of the fairy lights, Frank sat on a wooden chair next to Charlie and Dee who is on the floor, her legs swung comfortably over the side of the ship.

She opens her mouth to impolitely refuse, but then her brain seems to catch up with her,

“$600.”

“$450.”

“$750.”

_“What?”_

This time it’s Frank’s face that twists up into confusion.

“I’m not getting my stomach pumped for any less than six hundred,” she says flatly.

The wrinkles on Frank’s face smooth out a little as he contemplates this, his lips pressed into a flat line,

“Ok – I see your point,” he wags a stubby finger in Dee’s direction, “$600.”

“$750.”

“Ack!”

Frank throws his hands up in the air, before jumping up from the chair, jabbing his finger once more at Dee.

“I ain’t playin this game with you anymore – I shouldn’t have to be brought down to your level.”

Dee shrugs, taking another swig from the bottle, “Whatever, I don’t want to eat the damn fish anyway.”

As she talks Frank makes his way over to the ladder,

“You’re giving me a headache. I’m gonna fix the boom-box again so I don’t gotta listen to Deandre yappin’ anymore.”

“ _Fine._ ” Dee snaps, shifting a little to get comfy again – clearly agitated despite herself. The wet sound of Charlie eating consumes the silence and reminds her that she is still not alone.

“I don’t even know why he should pay you at all-“

Charlie punctuates with a large bite into the grilled fish,

“this is delicious.”

“Gross, Charlie,” Dee mutters without any real conviction, returning her attention to drinking from the bottle in her hand and staring the water beneath her feet.

Charlie goes to sit next to Dee, hooking his legs over the side of the boat just as she has.

 

They’re both still for a second before Dee makes a show of sniffing the air, and turning to glare at the fish in Charlie’s greasy hands.

“That fish stinks Charlie,” she bitches, using her free hand to cover her sun-burnt nose and lean away. Feeling upset and wanting Dee to stay, Charlie rolls his eyes.

“Fine, fine –  _I’ll eat it, Dee, OK?”_ he snaps, shoving the entire fillet into his mouth, chewing violently,

“Your hands still reek of fish!” Dee says from behind her hand, eyes wrinkled up.

“I don’t understand why it bothers you so much?” he snaps again, mouth full, looking around the deck they’re sat on, chewing up the last of the fish, before leaning across Dee to grab the unopened bottle of champagne at her side.

“Hey that’s mine!” Dee yaps, as Charlie rips off the silver wrapping and then the cork with his teeth, before pouring the contents over one dirty hand held over the side of the boat.

“ _Charlie!_ You’re wasting it!” she whines, though makes no move to stop him as he cleans the other hand and puts the bottle to his lips to rinse his mouth out too – spitting over the side into the ocean.

“Oh, like you were even going to drink that bottle anyway,” Charlie replies, snorting a little in amusement, taking another mouthful of champagne and spitting,

“I know you, Dee, you’re slurring your words already – one more bottle and you are going to be flailing around this boat like that tube man, again.”

He finishes, eyeing up the bottle in his hand, before taking a long drink, but Dee is exactly as drunk as Charlie predicted and stopped listening two sentences ago,

“I guess you do know me, don’t you, Charlie.”

Charlie’s a little shocked – not at the choice of words, but at the sincerity behind them,  and is even more shocked as Dee shunts herself back towards him and leans her head on his shoulder. Which definitely should have been kind of uncomfortable considering their height difference, yet neither of them make any effort to move away.

Charlie looks down, a little bewildered at the unfamiliar sight of Dee’s ratty bleach blonde head nuzzled against him like this. Though after a few more moments have passed he decides he doesn’t really mind at all. Dee smells like paint and alcohol – familiar and relaxing. She smells of something else as well – kind of similar to Dennis but a little more sugary. It must be some kind of delicious perfume. And for a twiggy bird lady, Dee is warm.

Charlie soon feels his muscles relaxing and leaning his weight a little back against Dee. Below deck, Frank cheers and music starts playing again from the floor below. He feels Dee slowly begin to kick her legs to the rhythm of the beat next to him.

Taking another mouthful of champagne Charlie returns his attention to the pitch black horizon where the sun had set many hours ago. Instinctively, part of him wonders what The Waitress is doing right now. She's probably just sleeping given the time, needing to be up early for work tomorrow. He dismisses the thought easily enough, all too eager for once to return to the world around him. 

Underneath the voice of  _Bob Dylan_ the water is lapping at the sides of the boat, the entire vessel rocking gently on the soft waves. Dee is now humming along to the melody, he can feel the vibration from her ribs.

Charlie drinks.

He hopes he gets to remember this.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing HAPPY Charlie Kelly was hard, I wasn't expecting it to be this difficult? I felt like going straight off the end of an episode was the way to go because I was just so confused and lost on exactly what to write. I didn't want to write Charlie's non-traditional intelligence either because it's been done before, and done well (better than I would be able to do). Sorry! But I have linked them here...you may have already read these, but if not here's some bonus fic recs for Charlie Kelly:
> 
> ["Charlie Moves On" by TrashcanGod](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7994374/chapters/18298192) (exploration/recognition of Charlie's non-traditional intelligence & independence from the gang)
> 
> ["Charlie Finds A Radio" by bluerobot14](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6334633/chapters/14514259) (a really adorable, happy, Charlie-centric fic - my fav Charlie fic)
> 
> ["Newt Inherits a Bar" by orphan](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6962767) (Charlie's intelligence & his independence from the gang - but as title suggests, transforms him into alter ego Newt from Pacific Rim, so depends if you're down for that or not!) 
> 
> Happy Holidays x


End file.
